Thyroid Disease: Could You Have It?

Thyroid disease is the general term used for several different types of thyroid disorders. According to EndocrineWeb.com you could be hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, have an autoimmune thyroid disease, thyroid nodules, postpartum thyroid disorders, thyroid cancer (very treatable and rarely fatal) etc. Depending on which one you have, there will be different symptoms.

The two main categories are hypothyroid and hyperthyroid and as listed on EndocrineWeb.com these are the common symptoms:

Hypothyroidism can have these symptoms: Fatigue, Weakness, Weight Gain or Increased Difficulty to Lose Weight, Course Dry Hair, Dry Rough Pale Skin, Hair Loss, Cold Intolerance (can't handle cold temperatures and often feel cold when others aren't), Muscle Cramps and Frequent Muscle Aches, Constipation, Depression, Irritability, Memory loss, Abnormal Menstrual Cycles, Decreased Libido, Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)

Hyperthyroidism can have these symptoms: Palpitations, Heat intolerance (can't handle hot or sometimes even warm temperatures and often feel hot when others aren't), Nervousness, Insomnia, Breathlessness, Increased Bowel Movements, Light or Absent Menstrual Periods, Fatigue, Fast Heart Rate, Trembling Hands, Weight Loss, Muscle Weakness, Warm Moist Skin, Hair Loss, Staring Gaze, Goiter (enlarged thyroid gland)

These are lists of the common symptoms, but you could have others not listed here. You also do not have to have all of the symptoms listed to have one of these thyroid problems. You may only have a few or may not have any at all yet. If you have an autoimmune thyroid disease, you could have a mix of both hypo and hyper symptoms (like me). The lists are not meant to diagnose anything, but if you have symptoms like these, you could have a thyroid disease and getting tested is important because your thyroid affects many life sustaining functions of the body.

I personally have Hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune thyroid disease. I probably had it for years before realizing something was wrong with me. The symptoms were slow in coming and most seemed like a part of getting older. I started gaining weight and it was almost impossible to lose a pound. When I did fight to get rid of some of it, it came right back and added more! I started getting tired easier and needed more sleep. My legs would ache in the evening. I had a strange tight, full feeling in my throat (which I thought meant I had some weird anxiety disorder or something). I was getting so worn out that I literally fell asleep if I sat down for more than a few minutes. I depended on coffee to make it through the day. Then one night I woke up unable to breathe because of the tight, fullness in my throat and that was when I realized something had to be wrong with me.

I went to the doctor and she said my thyroid felt enlarged (a goiter). That explained the tight, full feeling. I had TSH, T3, and T4 thyroid tests done and they all came back normal! I couldn't believe it. I knew thyroid disease ran in my family. I had also done research before going to the doctor and really thought that I had a thyroid disease. It took a while to get the right test done and actually get diagnosed. I had to have thyroid antibody tests done. When you have an autoimmune disease, your body produces antibodies against the part of your body it is destroying. In the case of autoimmune thyroid disease, you will have thyroid antibodies. You can have antibodies way before the TSH, T3 or T4 tests will become abnormal.

Your doctor may also order an ultrasound or other type of scan of your thyroid, also described on EndocrineWeb.com , which mine did. It lets them look at the appearance of your thyroid and will help them know exactly what is going on. My thyroid shows the appearance of Hashimoto's and I have three small nodules on my thyroid.

So if you don't "feel" quite right anymore or you have some of the symptoms listed above, it would be wise to get tested. If you are a woman, you have all the more reason to get tested. Women are ten times more likely to have thyroid disease than men. Just make sure you get thyroid antibody tests done along with the TSH, T3 and T4 so that you get diagnosed quickly. Hashimoto's is the most common cause of hypothyroidism and if caught soon enough, you can start thyroid hormone replacement therapy before hypothyroidism wreaks havoc on your health.

Norman Endocrine Surgery Clinic,"Endocrine Diseases and Endocrine Surgery", EndocrineWeb.com